Thursday, November 16, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Journalism under fire

Covering armed conflict and getting the story out is a unique talent, and the reporters who do it are special people. That’s why MTSU’s Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies will host a one-day event titled “Covering the Front Lines: The evolution of War Journalism and Lasting Effects of War Coverage on Journalists” on MONDAY at the Keathley University Center. Pulitzer Prize-winner David Halberstam will deliver the opening address at 11:30 a.m. War correspondents, authors and academics will participate in two afternoon panels on the evolution of war journalism and the effects of war reporting on journalists. At 7 p.m., Time magazine’s Michael Weisskopf, author of “Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57,” will deliver the keynote address.

Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150.
bkeel@mtsu.edu

The winds of change

The MTSU Chamber Winds will present a free and open concert 3 p.m. SUNDAY in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. The group is slated to perform Bach’s Six Sonatas, Carl Ruggles’ Angels for Muted Brass, David Gwilt’s Suite, and Beethoven’s Grand Serenade. The Chamber Winds are musicians who are dedicated to the study and performance of wind literature from the Renaissance to the latest compositions. The ensemble was founded in 2003 as an outgrowth of the MTSU Wind Ensemble and performs several concerts each semester.

Contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493.
tmusselm@mtsu.edu

Santa’s Little Raiders

The “Santa’s Little Raiders” program, sponsored by MTSU Public Safety, is in full swing. It helps to make the holidays a little brighter for some of the children of MTSU students. The gift tree is up in the lobby of police headquarters on East Main Street, and several “Little Raiders” are available for “adoption.” The cards on the tree have the gender and age of each child. A “party gift” with a value of $10 to $15 for each “Little Raider” may be purchased. That gift will be opened on the evening of the holiday party in the James Union Building on Friday, Dec. 8. All gifts must be wrapped and returned to Public Safety by Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Contact Officer Brett Huskey at 615-898-2424.

TR EXTRA

MASTERS, SPREAD YOURSELVES--The MTSU Opera Workshop will present two performances of Benjamin Britten’s opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY and SATURDAY in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. The plot of the opera is an ethereal story of three pairs of star-crossed Athenian lovers involving magical potions, spells and fairies. Primarily, it focuses on the subject of the madness of love and follows William Shakespeare’s play with several alterations. The performance will feature music and preparations by Caleb Harris, assistant professor of music, and Dr. Raphael Bundage, director of choral activities. General admission tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff, as well as high school students, will be admitted free. Contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu

SCIENTIFIC DIVERSITY--Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning will be one of the keynote speakers at the 4th annual Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Undergraduate Research Conference FRIDAY at the Holiday Inn on Old Fort Parkway in Murfreesboro. The conference theme is “Increasing Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.” Students and faculty from Tennessee State, Vanderbilt, LeMoyne-Owen, the University of Tennessee, the University of Memphis and MTSU are scheduled to attend. Dr. Calvin Mackie of Tulane University also will make a keynote speech. Mackie recently participated in director Spike Lee’s HBO documentary on Hurricane Katrina titled “When the Levees Broke.” Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Barbara Knox at 615-898-5311 or Dr. Tom Cheatham at 615-898-2613.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

CHICKS AND DUCKS AND GEESE BETTER SCURRY!--Curley, the handsome cowboy, and Jud, the hired farmhand, compete for the affection of the beautiful but hard-to-get Laurey. The plot is familiar to all fans of the American musical theatre. It’s “Oklahoma!,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic creation, as performed by MTSU students as part of the CenterStage Series. “It’s energetic entertainment perfect for the family, but most of all it is important that our students are introduced to a show that has greatly impacted the theater industry,” Dale E. McGilliard, professor of speech and theatre, says. “Oklahoma!” will run at Tucker Theatre at 7:30 TONIGHT through SATURDAY NIGHT. Tickets range from $4 to $8 and may be purchased at the door on the evening of the desired performance. For more information, call 615-494-8810, or visit the Department of Speech and Theatre’s Web site at http://www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.